Comic & Party: Special Dojinshi Unit
by MJP
Summary: “In the dojinshi justice system, the otaku are represented by two separate, yet equally important, groups. The police, who investigate dojin crimes, and the district attorneys, who prosecute yellow cards on the offenders. These are their stories.”
1. Complaint

**A/N:** Welcome to my newest Comic Party fanfic! This is a rip/blend on two of my favorite things: Comic Party and Law & Order. Since I know anime fans aren't necessarily Law & Order fans by association, I'm trying to satirize, rather than capture, the spirit of L&O by using Comic Party characters by association. If you're curious as to what Law & Order is, it's on TV quite a lot. Check your local listings and watch an episode. If you like cop shows, it's good stuff. If you like smart shows, it's good stuff. It's about the only thing I watch, besides Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and The Simpsons, on TV at all these days.

If you're an L&O fan, I hope you'll find the characters I picked do decent justice to the original characters. I have no intention of cameoing in anyone from the TV series. Hopefully I won't be in a position to make that call. -- I'm already feeling the urge to just put in **DOINK DOINK **between scene changes just to L&O it up amongst the hardcore, but oh well.

For authenticity purposes, I've moved Comic Party to New York. I know that this is what some may consider a big jump, but I had some issues trying to localize areas in Tokyo. I only know of the bigger areas—Odaiba, Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Akihabara, Shibuya, and all the like—and this simply isn't an accurate portrayal of Tokyo. More knowledgeable geographers are more than welcome to correct me and help re-release this fic if you know the comparable areas to the New York metro area. However, all areas in NYC are 100 authentic. I'll even try and base them on my own experiences and travels, so you can even go to visit them!

This fanfic is based in the manga universe. I've found that Sekihiko Inui's take on ComiPa allows for some really good madcapness and expands on the characters. I just got volume 3 of the manga yesterday (Waldenbooks rocks my socks for getting manga in two weeks early on average! ) and I figure it'll work best this way, even though the characters aren't in school in this fanfic.

For those who don't have the manga, Kazuki and Mizuki are in college and are boyfriend/girlfriend; they go to the same school as Reiko. Minami is, as far as I know, also in university and still high up on the ComiPa Preparatory Committee. Yuu goes to college in Kobe, but comes to Tokyo and crashes in a hotel or with friends for Comic Party. Aya, Chisa, and Eimi are still in high school.

And now, the necessary legalese...

**Comic Party is the trademark of Leaf/Aquaplus as licensed in the United States by Right Stuf International, Central Park Media, and Tokyopop Entertainment. All rights belong to the copyright holders. This is a work of parody/homage. **

That's all for necessary opener notes. Commentary, reviews, etc. are more than welcome. Enjoy!

**DRAMATIS PERSONAE**

**Police**

Patrol Sgt. Ikumi Tachikawa  
Detective Sgt. Reiko Haga  
Detective Sgt. Asahi Sakurai  
Precinct Lieutenant Yuu Inagawa

**Legal System**

Manhattan District Attorney Subaru Mikage  
Assistant District Attorney Taishi Kuhonbutsu  
Assistant District Attorney Chisa Tsukamoto  
Justice Minami Makimura  
Aya Hasebe, Attorney at Law

**Dojinshi Circles**

Cat or Fish?!: Eimi Oba  
Brother 2: Kazuki Sendoh, Mizuki Takase  
Jamming Book Store: Aya Hasebe

**Others **

Yoko Horizontal. AKA "Horizontal Guy"  
Tate Vertical, AKA "Vertical Guy"  
ComiPa-goers

"In the dojinshi justice system, the otaku are represented by two separate, yet equally important, groups. The police, who investigate dojin crimes, and the district attorneys, who prosecute yellow cards on the offenders. These are their stories."

**COMIC & PARTY: SPECIAL DOJINSHI UNIT**

**_Chapter 1: Complaint_**

**Spring Comic Party, Javits Convention Center  
Lower West Side, Manhattan**  
**2:25 PM, April 16th, 2005**

"I don't care what you say, the fighting maid genre is making a comeback," Vertical said to Horizontal angrily, adjusting his glasses.

"But look at the resurgence of the sexy warrior dojinshi just coming out," Horizontal replied, wiping beads of sweat off his Yankee cap-clad brow. "The spread and breadth of the comics from the new press, led as always by Cat Or Fish?!, is spurring on a renewed interest of the fighting cute girl genre. Why, this Card Master Peach volume I have here showcases that entire resurgence in full fathom."

"Let me see," Vertical Guy demanded in his normal high-pitched voice, accepting his close friend's proffered dojinshi.

"This is remarkable," Vertical grudgingly admitted, flipping to the back of the small-press comic. "Oh! No wonder. This is the Cat or Fish?! release that I just mentioned. But how did you get it so early in the afternoon? The line for Oba-sama's table must be miles long."

"Oh, they had a few issues that were being sold at a table we passed. I got it there on our way."

"We should get this autographed by Oba-sama. Her technique and artistry will bring new vitality to the genre."

**Booth 14-A  
3:45 PM **

"Oh my! Such a crowd, I hope my autograph hand doesn't cramp up!" the green-haired dojinshi artist exclaimed with an excited laugh. "You're all just super-wonderful for waiting for me, the Great Cute Eimi Oba! Thank you, come on back again soon!" Eimi grinned madly at the next two people who came up into line. "What would you liiike? An autograph? A doodle? Or maybe just the latest wonderfully amazing Cat or Fish?! release?"

"Just an autograph, Oba-sama," Horizontal Guy humbly asked, holding out the dojinshi and bowing.

"An autograph? Oh, but of course!" Eimi exclaimed, accepting the book. "I'm always happy to—"

Her voice cut off in mid-exclamation as she realized something wasn't right.

"Hey, how did you get this? I haven't seen you two yet today and this is a new release! You snuck up and stole this, didn't you!?"

"What??"

"I knew it! You were so desperate that somehow you executed an elaborately planned infiltration involving stealth camouflage, a transceiver set to 120.86, and eight separate keycards that form a map once you flip them all over!"

"Wait! Oba-sama, we didn't steal this from you! We got it at another booth!"

"SECURITY!"

* * *

"So when did you say you were approached by Mr. Vertical and Mr. Horizontal?" Detective Sergeant Reiko Haga asked Eimi, writing notes in her flip-top notepad, an age-old detectives' staple. 

"It was mid-afternoon that the super-lame crooks came up and started harassing me," Eimi exclaimed, stomping her foot angrily. "They said that they'd gotten a copy of my dojinshi from someone else's booth, when that's simply super-untrue!"

"Can you provide receipts indicating that you are the sole producer of this dojinshi?" Detective Sergeant Asahi Sakurai asked, holding up the copy of _Momo Master,_ emblazoned on the back with the Cat or Fish?! logo, now sealed in an NYPD evidence bag.

"Of course I can provide receipts! The great Eimi Oba always leaves a paper trail in case someone's trying to assassinate her!"

Reiko and Asahi traded a look and a sigh. "I'm sure that nobody will attempt to assassinate you over a counterfeit dojinshi, Ms. Oba. However, should you have any suspicions, or if you might have any idea of who would do this, please don't hesitate to contact us." Reiko handed over her business card.

"Hmph! Of course, any other dojin circle would want to usurp the inherent wonderfulness that is Cat or Fish?!! I'm only the greatest-selling, most talented, cutest..."

Reiko and Asahi walked away from the curbside of the Javits Center entrance towards the Hudson River. "So we've got ourselves the Queen of ComiPa wanting to rub out some unwanted competition," Asahi remarked to her partner.

"Yeah, but there's too much competition to rub out to appease her ego," Asahi replied, reaching into her pocket for change as they came up on a Nuts about Nuts cart. "Gimme a bag of honey cashews."

She handed over two bucks to the nut man. "Well, let's get right to the source. Tachikawa! You around here?" Reiko yelled over her shoulder.

"Right here, ma'am," patrolwoman Ikumi Tachikawa said, walking up, her right hand holding her pistol down as she jogged up. "Want the breakdown?"

"Let's hear it."

"Okay, the shorter one is one Yoko Horizontal, age twenty-seven. Lives with his parents in Westchester. Works in a comic book store, of all things. He was the one who allegedly purchased the book in question. It took four of us to restrain him. Guy needs to lose some weight. No wants, no warrants. Name doesn't hit in the system. Seems to be clean."

"Right, and his Bill Gates-looking friend?" Asahi asked, extending the bag of roasted cashews to Ikumi.

"No, thanks. Tatei Vertical, also twenty-seven, also lives with his parents in Westchester. He's unemployed, totally clean as well, but his name came up in the system under a citation for creating a disturbance. That was at ComiNext out in Secaucus last August. He's been out of trouble 'til now."

"What're we booking 'em under?" Asahi asked, popping a cashew into her mouth and chewing thoughtfully.

"Well, Horizontal is the one who actually made the purchase, so we've got him under receiving stolen goods in the third degree in case this is the real thing. Vertical is in under willing accessory, and we can probably hang on to them for a while under conspiracy to commit a felony."

"How d'you figure?"

"Well, they probably talked about how great it'd be to have a Cat or Fish?! release without having to wait in line."

"Sold. Give 'em the royal suites, Tachikawa. We'll be a few minutes behind you."

The two detectives walked to the street corner, again towards the river. "We ought to start narrowing it down to the most likely ones. Gotta start with motive and opportunity," Reiko remarked.

"Motive and opportunity? No problem. Maybe if we start from the top, we can just interview every single other dojin circle that was at this convention."

A ringing sound came from the pocket of Reiko's tan trenchcoat. She pulled out the source—the modern equivalent of an old detective's radio, a Nokia cell phone—and thumbed the Talk button. "This is Haga."

She listened for a moment. "Okay, we're on our way." Pressing the End button, she slipped the phone away and looked to her partner. "They've booked our friends. Neither's requested a lawyer yet. You want the softy and I'll take the tough one?"

"I never get the tough ones," Asahi said in a mock-whine, extending the half-empty bag of roasted cashews to Reiko. "Want some?"

"No thanks, I like my nuts just plain crazy. We've got two to deal with now."

**Midtown South Precinct  
****Interview Room A  
****4:25 PM**

"So, Mr... Vertical, was it?" Reiko asked, loosening her necktie, a rather odd staple for a female detective, and spinning the old steel chair around, leaning forward on what was normally the back of the chair.

Vertical Guy already had a severe five o'clock shadow about his face, which was odd from having been arrested and booked less than an hour ago, when it was just an ill-shaved half-Hitler mustache under his nose. "I have nothing to say to you," the tall, skinny, lanky otaku proclaimed in his normal, nasal voice. "All my dojinshi were purchased legally and legitimately."

"Oh, I'm sure they were," Reiko said, raising an eyebrow and unfolding a sheet of paper from her pocket. "You know what this is?"

"I don't care."

"This is an evidence processing sheet. We fill it in for all our evidence and personal effects that may be connected to evidence collected in a crime."

"That's wonderful. I want out of here."

"The evidence storage process takes quite a long time," Reiko continued, ignoring Vertical Guy's comment. "We first catalogue and describe—in detail—every item, wrapper, crumb, everything we took off of you in the booking process."

Vertical Guy's eye twitched. "What do you mean? Why do you need all that?"

"Just to be sure, just to be sure," Reiko said casually, running her eyes over the sheet. "Whew... we may need another one for you, chief. Quite a long list you have here. 'Autographed copy of _Zoom Zoom Baby,_ from Genesis Rights Books. Autographed copy of _42 Areas,_ Center Outside Dojin. The list goes on and on and on, doesn't it? You were quite busy at ComiPa, weren't you?"

"I had a rather large haul," Vertical Guy said, adjusting his glasses. "What are you going to do with it?"

"Just run over it with a fine-tooth comb. Of course, you do realize that this isn't Japan, Mr. Vertical, and certain things are illegal to depict and sell in America..."

"This is entrapment! This is extortion!"

"Oh, I'm afraid you can only pick one, but the fact of the matter is, I have here the submission sheet for our evidence people to go over. I could just give the whole lot to 'em... I figure it'll take about four weeks to cross-reference everything against preexisting warrants or otherwise issues... and what was this about a citation for creating a disturbance at ComiNext? I'm sure a judge wouldn't want to have a two-time dojinshi offender out on the streets, don't you think?"

"Fine, fine, what do you _want?_"

Reiko leaned further over the table, narrowing her eyes and staring right at Vertical. "Where'd you get that dojinshi?"

"My friend and I found it at someone's table. I forget whose. It was on sale for $5. That's all I know."

"You didn't think it was suspicious that a Cat or Fish!? dojinshi, one of the most sought-after books at any convention, was at someone else's table? I find that hard to believe."

"All I did was buy it," Vertical replied indignantly. "The girl there said that Ms. Oba had given her some to sell. I know a bargain when I see one. I bought it. Now are you going to let me go or get me a lawyer?"

* * *

**4:55 PM**

"I forget whose table we got it at," Horizontal exclaimed happily, his hands clasped in front of him. "We got a really good price on it; the girl selling it said it was a dojinshi exchange with Cat or Fish!?. Please, Ms. Cute Detective, I would do anything to bring such transgressors to justice! I pledge you my full cooperation, admiration, and support in the fight for truth, justice, and..."

Asahi rolled her eyes and sighed, adjusting her glasses as Horizontal Guy kept babbling onward, his eyes dewy with admiration. _This happens way too often,_ she thought. _Maybe I should shave my head. Hell, Reiko used to be with Undercover Division. All that cosplay could maybe help tone all this cuteness crap down._

"Mr. Horizontal, do you remember anything about where you purchased that dojinshi?"

"I wish I did," Horizontal said wistfully. "I want to help you, Detective Sakurai!"

Asahi sighed, stood up, and walked out of the interview room, shooting a glance over to the one-way mirror that was installed on her way out. A few steps to another door brought her to the other side of the mirror.

"Looks like you got yourself a new fan," Lt. Yuu Inagawa, head of the 21st Precinct Dojinshi Investigations Division, noted with a sip of coffee. "Seems like he's telling the truth about this girl who sold him the book. Maybe we shoulda put you in charge of the other one."

"Same thing, though, right?"

"Yeah, same thing. Vertical thinks he got it near the Sakuramicon booth, somewhere near one of the walls of the convention. Problem is, Sakuramicon was square in the middle of the Javits Center according to the Comic Party Preparatory Committee staff."

"Isn't Judge Makimura part of the Board of Directors for ComiPa?"

"Yeah, she worked her way up from the Preparatory Committee staff while she was an undergrad and made Head of Security while she was at law school. Now look at her."

"Damn. I was hoping that we'd end up drawing her for when this case goes to trial."

"L-T, I got nothing," Reiko said with a sigh as she came into the interview room. "Vertical just remembered his right to remain silent, and believe me, I wish he retained it in the beginning. I can't stand this stuck-up otaku jerk. He wants a lawyer or his release. I say we let him go."

"It'd be nice if they knew exactly where this dojinshi came from," Yuu said, picking up the still-sealed comic and turning it over. "Go ahead and let 'em out. Slap 'em with an angry look and 'We're watching you.' After that, see what turns up with some interviews of other dojinshi circles at the convention."

"You mean we're going canvassing, right?" Asahi said with a sigh and a look at her partner.

Reiko returned Asahi's glance and shrugged. "We've got nothing much else to go on. The place where they got the dojinshi is still iffy according to the layout that the ComiPa people gave us. Best to start out from the beginning and work our way outwards."

"All the while, the culprit builds up a more and more solid alibi," Reiko said with a sigh. She looked at the evidence bag and slid the counterfeit comic next to an original that Eimi had provided, but only after Reiko had ponied up her own money for it. "'You'd better find out who's ripping on the Great Eimi Oba,'" Reiko mocked Eimi. "Gah. Let her go vigilante on them. It'll be fun."

"Hey, we don't need another King Jacky running around," Yuu said, heading out of the observation room. "I'll give you guys the breakdown of the vendors at ComiPa and their addresses. Better start warming up your knocking knuckles. We'll get the lab running down the inks and papers in the counterfeit in the meantime."

**Better Burgers**  
**178 8th Avenue  
****1:47 PM, April 20th, 2005**

"Hey, you're late." Asahi waggled her finger at Reiko as her partner walked into the restaurant. "I ordered you your usual ostrich burger combo."

"Thanks, I'm starving." Reiko slid into the booth across from her partner. "I got really confused looks from basically everyone I went to. Nobody even knew about this dojinshi before Horizontal and Vertical picked it up. We really nipped the distro in the bud; apparently it was just at that one table."

"Personal connection?" Asahi asked. "Back to the grudge-against-Oba theory?"

"It seems the best thing to suit the situation. So far, we've only got one instance of these Cat or Fish?! books being sold at one table. Pair that up with an author with enough skill to either copy a dojinshi that Eimi made or swipe it from her, and we're dealing with one of two things: A) A very talented artist and writer who knows Eimi well enough to have seen every stage of the dojinshi's development and copy it accordingly, or B) A very skilled thief who was able to steal a copy from the printers and take it to another print shop or make reproductions at ComiPa itself."

"Yeah, and since ComiPa doesn't have a full offset press on site, we can assume that this was planned out. That means malice. Grudge. Planning." Asahi accepted her soy burger and Boylan's birch beer from the waitress.

"How can you eat that rabbit food?" Reiko asked, making a face.

"I don't care if it's from an ostrich, a chicken, a cow, or a pig, I'm not eating any meat," Asahi said with an upturn of her nose.

"Just you wait. One of these days I'll swap your soy for—gasp!—_a chicken cutlet!_"

The two detectives giggled. "So who's next on our list?" Asahi asked between bites of her soy burger.

"Well, believe it or not, we've got a certain outfit called Jamming Book Store. Aya Hasebe."

"Aya Hasebe? The attorney Aya Hasebe?"

"You know her?"

Asahi frowned and set her burger down. "Yeah, back when I was with Internal Affairs, she was the representing agent for the West Side Redevelopment Corporation, the people who're building the stadium for the 2012 Olympics a few blocks down from the Javits Center. Her name came up on a list of donors who were connected to the Gambino crime family. IAB investigated some possible improper gifts from her office to some of our investigators looking into her finances. She was acquitted; turns out some cops were taking payoffs from the Gambinos from antoher office. I doubt she's the kind of person to get involved in this, but she's still a damn good criminal defense lawyer. Her own practice uptown and everything."

"What would a hotthot lawyer working fway throuf the Olymphics wanth with Cath or Fith!?" Reiko asked, her mouth full of ostrich.

"I managed to talk to Lieutenant Inagawa before I went canvassing today. Hasebe's actually an incredibly talented artist. Here, take a look." Asahi reached into her jacket and pulled out a rolled-up dojinshi. She slid it over to Reiko, who set down her burger, wiped her hands off with a napkin, and flipped through a few pages.

"_Pinwheel,_ huh? This is really good artwork. Really minimalist, doesn't look like a lot of stuff that's out there... which means she's already eclipsed by Cat or Fish?!, right?"

"Bingo. Finish your carcass and let's get moving."

"Hey, I like being a carnivore," Reiko joked, taking a big bite of her burger. "Mmm. Nearly-endangered meat is like a good yaoi manga... tender, tasty, and sticks with you."

"I will _never_ get your habits, Reiko."

**Offices of Aya Hasebe, Esq.  
****225 Park Avenue  
****2:30 PM**

"Ms. Hasebe? I'm detective Haga, this is detective Sakurai, NYPD. Thank you for agreeing to meet with us; we know your schedule is really tight."

"Oh, there's no problem at all..." Aya said, standing up from her desk and smoothing down the folds in her dark suit. "Can I offer you some coffee, tea, anything..."

"We're fine, thank you," Asahi jumped in, as she and Reiko sat in chairs across from Aya's desk that she had gestured to. "Ms. Hasebe, you're a dojinshi author, right?"

"Yes, it's something I do whenever I can," Aya said with a nod. "I don't get to make many dojinshi these days, what with the practice and my own personal life."

"So this is one of your works?" Reiko asked, sliding the copy of _Pinwheel_ across the polished cherrywood desk. Aya picked it up and smiled.

"Yes, this is one that I finished last year. I've been selling it from convention to convention. I've had a lot of extra copies... these younger circles can turn out so much more and so much fresher material, so I just do this for myself."

"Have you had a drop-off in customers lately?"

"That would imply I had customers that could drop off," Aya laughed gently. "I usually have maybe only four or five people through the entire day come to my table and actually buy the comic. Most just pass it by because the cover isn't that flashy."

"Ms. Hasebe, were you at the recent Comic Party?" Reiko asked.

"Yes, I was," she said with a nod.

"Was it just you at your table?"

"It's always just me..." Aya said, a tinge of caution in her voice. "I did get up to go to the restroom and to get lunch, also to look around for dojinshi... what's this all about?"

"Do you recognize this dojinshi, Ms. Hasebe?" Asahi asked politely, taking the "good cop" approach to round off the edgy directness of Reiko's questioning. Asahi held up the counterfeit dojinshi, removed from the evidence bag.

Aya blinked twice. "Isn't that _Momo Master,_ the latest Cat or Fish?! release?"

"And this?" Asahi held up the issue that Eimi had sold to Reiko.

"It's the same thing..." Aya leaned forward, squinting gently. "It looks like the first one is a little different, though."

Reiko nodded. "They are different. Where were you between 7 AM and 2:30 PM this past Saturday?"

"Are you implying that I'm counterfeiting Cat or Fish?! dojinshi?" Aya asked, half-shocked.

"We're just trying to make sure that your bases are covered so you're above all suspicion, ma'am," Asahi said with a smile.

"I... I was awake at 7 AM and I came to the Javits Center at 7:50," Aya said, blushing and looking down. "Let's see... I went to the vendors' entrance, set up my books, and I was at my table from 8 through the opening at 9, then I went to get lunch at 1:15. The table next to me covered for my sales, and then I covered for them when they went to eat lunch. I was at the table for the rest of ComiPa, and then I went home after packing up at 5:40."

"What were you selling that day?" Reiko asked, furiously jotting down notes on her notepad.

"Let's see... I was selling _Pinwheel, The Sun and The Moon, Silent,_ and _The Mobius Strip._ I had about twenty of _Pinwheel_ and around thirty to forty of the others... I don't know if I have the receipts from the printer, if those will help..."

"No, that's just what we need," Reiko said, putting her notepad into her coat pocket and setting down one of her business cards on Aya's table. "We won't be bothering you any more about this. If you have any questions or know anything about this, please don't hesitate to call."

"Um... of course," Aya said, handing back her dojinshi. "I hope I was at least able to help."

"Well, actually, there's one more thing," Asahi chimed in, reaching into her pocket. She handed a pen across to Aya. "Think you could autograph this? Our lieutenant is a fan of yours."

"Of course." Aya blushed, took the pen, and signed her name in flowing script across the front. "I'm glad your lieutenant likes it. Tell him... er, tell him or her that I'll be selling this and other back issues at the next ComiPa."

"We'll be sure to do that. Thank you for your time, Ms. Hasebe."

"Not at all, it was no problem."

"Well, that was a bust," Reiko said with a sigh. "Jamming Book Store was next to Local H Press, and they back up her alibi. Local H did well enough even with Cat or Fish?!, so we can probably rule out them working in concert."

"Yeah. This is really starting to slow us down. We're getting nowhere fast."

Reiko's cell phone rang again. "Haga here." She listened for a moment and grinned. "Great. We'll be right there."

"What was it?"

"Lab came through with some info on the inks in the dojinshi. They want us at One Police Plaza ASAP."

**_To be continued..._**

**A/N Afterword**: Cendrillo, if you're reading this, use the link to E-mail me. I want you in on my proofreading list for stuff like this. If nothing else, I want to expand the ComiPa category here on and make the C2 community I just established really grow...

Besides, it's always good to be in contact with other fans.


	2. Investigation

**A/N:** If you get the reference, you get the props. If you don't get the reference, you should really score Miami Guns. It's such an awesome show. If you're reading this, you'd love the series: a cop show without the seriousness. 

Again, all locations are as authentic as it gets. However, the address at North Avenue is actually the Port of Elizabeth... so don't go looking for Tsukamoto Printers there. :-P

This might not be as comedic as you'd expect, but I'm having too much fun writing a crime drama to care. Props to all the loyals, you know who you is. Props especially for entertaining my little side project here. The next one I'm planning will be an actual Comic Party fanfic, not a crossover.

Mad props also to Marivel, for looking up King Jacky's real name after I loaned her the mangas.

This'll be my last update this week; I'm going down to Florida to spend Yom Kippur with my grandfolks, aunt, and uncle. I'll be doing the fast on Saturday, so fill my stomach with your criticisms, comments, and reviews.

On with the show!

**Chapter 2: Investigation **

**Forensic Analysis Lab**  
**One Police Plaza  
****3:20 PM**

Reiko and Asahi flashed their badges to the desk clerk, who signed them in with the perfunctory safety speech and visitor tags. Neither of them were strangers to the central police complex, and it was only a few turns and a flight of stairs to get to the old Chemical Division facilities.

"Are we in the right place?" Asahi asked Reiko as they stood in front of a door that looked like it was out of an old private eye's office. It looked like it once had "Chemical Division Laboratory" written in gold-leaf over a scalloped glass door straight out of a Sam Spade film, but the gold-leaf had mostly flaked off and the doorknob hung by a thread.

Reiko shrugged. "I'd think you'd be here with IAB. Aren't cops notorious for bouncing checks off of each other?"

"Hey, I was investigating corruption, not the Knicks," Asahi joked, knocking on the door.

"You must be Haga and Asahi," a voice said from inside. "Come on in."

Asahi opened the door and held it for her partner, following in herself. The interior of the lab belied the door; it was sparkling clean and packed with sophisticated, confusing-looking equipment. It ran the gamut from Sherlock Holmes-esque beakers, pipettes, and inverted tubes to what appeared to be a scaled-down supercomputer. A handful of analysts were clustered around a machine making a loud whirring noise, supervised by a dark-haired girl with glasses who wore a purple bow tie to complement the lab-coat look.

"Nice to meet you both," the girl said above the whir, setting down a sample she was looking at and brushing off her hands. "I'm Kaken Musume, CD lab supervisor."

"Nice to meet you. I'm detective Reiko Haga, this is detective Asahi Sakurai," Reiko said by way of introduction, both of them shaking Kaken's hand in turn. "Man, I never get tired of using that line." Reiko chuckled.

"She loves her job a little too much," Asahi observed to Kaken in sotto voce.

"I know the feeling," Kaken said with a smile. "Anyway, you're here about that counterfeit dojinshi, right?"

"That's the one," Asahi said. "What's the big find?"

"Well, we tried to break down the dojinshi to its components. We had to use a high-speed pulper/extractor to reduce it, but that didn't work. The techs are working on it right now, trying to use different settings. If we can extract and analyze the ink and paper, we can trace it to a source, which will at least give us a producer and then a distributor." Kaken led them to the cluster of lab technicians, but neither of the detectives were able to see the actual device at work.

"How much does one of those pulper thingies cost?" Reiko asked over the whir, which had kicked up in volume and intensity.

"Oh, only about twenty bucks if you get it on sale," Kaken replied, reaching under a lab table and pulling out an empty box, emblazoned with a picture of a stainless steel-accented blender.

"Kitchenaid?!" the two detectives exclaimed in unison.

"It's finished!" four voices exclaimed as the whirring of the Kitchenaid blender cut off. In a flash, they had donned extravagant straw hats, sunglasses, and fake plastic flower leis as they poured out margaritas from the blender. Someone pulled out a boombox, and loud tropical music started to play.

"That doesn't look like ink analysis," Reiko said flatly.

Kaken sighed. "Detective Sakurai, this might be a case for IAB... wait, where'd she-"

"Sorry!" Asahi exclaimed, quickly stepping away from the blender. "Someone ask for me?" She tried to tuck the plastic lei she wore around her neck under her coat.

"Well... anyway, that aside..." Kaken led them into another wing of the lab, where some robotic-looking machines worked over another sample page of the dojinshi. "We're performing a vapor analysis to get some indications of ink toxicity and chemistry while the pulper/extractor is... well... realigned. We have some preliminary results."

Kaken handed a dot-matrix printout to the detectives, who promptly scrutinized it.

"Wow..." Asahi remarked.

"Yeah..." Reiko replied.

"This makes my brain hurt," they said in unison.

"Oh, sorry," Kaken said with a sheepish grin. "I keep forgetting that hydroxylate octane bonding isn't something that many people are really highly-studied on. All that this means is that these inks were printed where the air is dense with heavy industrial pollutants and jet exhaust."

"Jet exhaust?" Asahi asked. "So you mean this was done near an airport?"

"I'm no aviator, but I think that this has to be under one of the takeoff areas," Kaken said, flipping through some other printouts. "Ah, here: our analysis indicates very high concentrations of octane that are similar to type JP-A jet fuel. This is used in large commercial aircraft, according to our research. The amount of concentration in parts per million indicates that this dojinshi has received a good-sized amount of octane residuals from jet exhaust. The levels are high enough to hypothesize that this was directly under the path of jet engines operating at high thrust levels."

"In other words, the print shop is located under where airliners are taking off!" Asahi exclaimed, pounding her fist into her palm.

"Bingo," Reiko grinned. "Kaken, any problems if we take this printout?"

"Be my guest. I'll let you know if we find anything else, but this should at least narrow down the source. Once they're done in there, I'll see about pulping down the comic again and extracting the inks."

"Hey, girls! Wanna join us?" an already-inebriated voice called from the main lab.

"Are you two sure you don't need any target practice today?" Kaken asked.

**Tsukamoto Printers  
****125 North Avenue East  
****Elizabeth, NJ  
****10:17 AM, April 26th, 2005**

"Tsukamoto?! The same Tsukamoto?!"

"Same Tsukamoto as what?"

"Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me." Reiko leaned on the side of their unmarked black police-issue Impala, checking the street map she had bought at a nearby Exxon. "Yes, this is North Avenue... and that's the right block..."

"Reiko, what's so bad about this place? Who's Tsukamoto?"

"Oh, you probably never had to go to court that much with IAB," Reiko said, folding up the map. "Chisa Tsukamoto is an assistant district attorney. She's the baby of the bunch up at the offices, but she's really capable. If this is in any way her relatives, she's probably going to be right off the prosecution team, and ADA Kuhonbutsu'll have to go solo. They're like peaches and cream the way they work."

"Well, we can't ignore it. We've been to the print shops under the other big airports: Kennedy, La Guardia, even Teterboro. They didn't recognize the dojinshi. This is one of the last, here under beautiful Newark Liberty International."

"Don't remind me," Reiko grumbled as the shriek of turbofan engines exploded over their head, indicating another airliner taking off. "Let's just hope that there's more than one Tsukamoto family in Jersey, and if there isn't, let's just hope that these are distant cousins on the very, very far side of the family."

Asahi knocked this time.

"Can I help you?" a college-aged blond man with a scraggly beard answered.

"I'm detective Sakurai, this is detective Haga, NYPD. Is this Tsukamoto Printing?"

"Uh, yeah, it is," the guy said, scratching his head.

"We're investigating what may have been an unauthorized dojinshi printing, and we're just asking a few questions of print shops in the area. May we come in if you have a minute?"

"Yeah, sure," the guy said, stepping aside and holding the door open. The print shop itself was full of printing machines, buckets of ink, stacks of paper, and several new-looking catalogs. "C'mon into the conference room. I'm Genji Tsukamoto; I'm not the manager or anything. That's my dad; I can get him if you need."

"Well, all we need to know is if you've seen this dojinshi before," Reiko said, handing Genji a copy of the counterfeit, sealed in an evidence bag.

"Yeah, I've seen this one," Genji said, turning it over. "It was a pretty big order. I wasn't the one who took it, but we printed this."

"Do you have the billing information, orders, anything like that? What about the person who dropped off or delivered the order?"

"Oh, I was the one who delivered it. Dropped it off to some girl. She had a signed thing from Ms. Oba that she could pick it up."

"What did she look like?" Reiko was feverishly scribbling notes in her pad.

"Tall, kinda. Long hair. It was kinda early in the morning and I didn't have my coffee, so I couldn't pick out too much."

"Mr. Tsukamoto, would you be willing to attend a line-up once we have a suspect in custody?"

"Sure, no problem. You wanted the invoices and stuff too, right? Be right back."

Genji disappeared into the back of the shop and came back with a handful of photocopies. "Okay, we've got the pre-printed drop off order, which means that they must've come to us already. We have a service where busy clients can just slide their original and order request in the mail slot and we print it up and bill 'em. This was prepaid in cash, though."

"Cash? You don't verify your payment sources?"

"Saves us all on sales tax, I guess," Genji shrugged again and scratched his beard. "Anyway, here's the delivery receipt. It's been stamped by Ms. Oba."

Reiko and Asahi briefly scrutinized the receipt. It had a square-bordered stamp seal on it, with "Eimi Oba" written in kanji characters.

"Mr. Tsukamoto, are you at all related to Chisa Tsukamoto, a prosecutor in Manhattan?" Reiko asked.

"Uh? Oh, yeah, she's my cousin. My father's brother's daughter by marriage. My dad's paternal name is Rokuro Hoshino, but he took my mom's name when they got married. Rokuro Tsukamoto."

"Okay. We were just curious," Reiko said with a visible sigh of relief.

"Here's our card," Asahi said, handing over hers this time. "Please give us a call if you're contacted by Ms. Oba again, or if you remember anything, if you have any questions..."

"Yeah, I'll do that. We don't need shady clients. Just because we're a print shop by an airport in Jersey doesn't mean we're crooked, y'know?"

"We appreciate your cooperation, Mr. Tsukamoto. We'll see ourselves out. Have a nice day."

"Looks like our big break," Asahi remarked. "If he's telling the truth, that is."

Reiko looked the seal over. "Who's to say this is Eimi Oba's stamp itself?" she said under her breath. "You can carve something like this out of a potato..."

"Well, if we're dealing with undergrounders, we're at yet _another_ dead end," Asahi sighed, getting into the passenger side of the car as Reiko got behind the wheel. "Bleecker Street and Chinatown are rife with small presses and fake ID places." Asahi flipped through the photocopies as Reiko turned back onto North Avenue for the trip up to the Holland Tunnel. "According to these documents, Eimi Oba resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and we know that she lives in Manhattan. Curiouser and curiouser, no?"

"Ann Arbor? Great. If this turns into something across state lines, it goes right to the Feds and it'll get lost forever."

"That's just what the ID says. And he doesn't really remember much either."

"Best thing we can do is wait. Let's call this in to the LT and see what transpires."

As Reiko reached into her pocket for her cell phone, it started ringing. "Timing for ya," she remarked, pressing the Talk button. "Haga."

She listened for a moment, nodding. "Great. We'll be there soon." Instead of putting her phone back into her pocket, Reiko tossed it gently to Asahi.

"Reiko, wha-WHOA!" Asahi's quizzical inquiry was cut short as Reiko hoofed the heavy police car into a U-turn, rear tires squealing, and flipped on the lights behind the grille. She gunned the engine, the car now heading south on the highway.

"That was the LT herself," Reiko said over the roaring engine. "125th Precinct on Staten Island just responded to an explosion, and they found charred copies of our friendly neighborhood counterfeit. We're getting first crack at the scene."

"Shouldn't this go to the 125th's CSI people?"

"Well, the LT wants us to stop off at Chin Chin Palace for her lunch. They're the best Chinese food outside of Chinatown."

"Let's thank our serial counterfeiter-slash-exploder, then."

**1675 Forest Hill Road, Staten Island, NY**  
**10:40 AM**

The site of the explosion was a rather shoddy house on a heavily traveled street spanning Staten Island from end to end. The police had already closed off traffic for the block that the explosion was on, but Reiko and Asahi's badges got them through fast enough. A fire truck was sitting idly with its engines on and hoses hooked up in case of a flare-up, but the house seemed to be stable enough. Uniformed and plainclothes officers were already taking down notes and photographs of the shabby house, mistreated enough even before the explosion.

"Okay, nobody's been inside yet?" Reiko asked loudly, getting the attention of other officers on the scene.

"Nobody yet, ma'am," a uniformed officer replied with a thick Italian accent. He unclipped a large Maglite flashlight from his pistol belt and handed it to the detectives. "You'll need this. Whatever blew up knocked out the power to the block. ConEd'll have it back up in a few hours, but this block ain't gonna be watchin' much Adult Swim tonight."

"Thanks," she said. "Okay, let's go have a look. Basement first. We're dealing with dojinshi artists here. They flock to dark and quiet places like moths to a flame."

Reiko led the way into the basement, stepping carefully over pieces of debris, not moving anything from where it was lying. Asahi moved to the right, shining another borrowed flashlight over other bits and pieces. It wasn't long before she found the source of the explosion, surrounded by scraps of paper.

"I think I found a work area," she announced, running her light over the remnants of debris. "Normographs, fountain and sketching pens... hell, looks like this is an entire spectrum chart of Copic markers fused together from the explosion."

"But look at the explosion point," Reiko said to herself, shining her flashlight at the remnants of the boiler, on a support pillar just behind the destroyed art supplies. "The metal of the boiler seems to have sunk inwards a little. It looks like somebody punched it..."

"What happens when a boiler explodes, anyway? Most of this damage looks as if it came from steam heat, not fire."

"That's probably what happened..."

Reiko turned and faced the boiler, spreading her hands out, palm-down, looking at the floor. "The suspect, being a dojinshi artist, is hanging out in the basement, seeking solitude while he tries to think something up. In a rage, his Burning Dojinshi Passion comes out as he's trying to envision an idea or something like that. He punches the boiler..." Reiko mocked an uppercutting punch to where the boiler stood. "He punches it hard enough to cause some of the steam pressure to change. It starts to swell from the sides, he figures something ain't right, and he bolts from the explosion, lucky to survive."

"Reiko, how do you know all this?"

"Ever have writers' block, Asahi?"

"Point. So you think that this is our culprit's residence?"

"You think they were stupid enough to use their real name?"

"Let's find out. Grab a few copies of the counterfeits, too."

"Only if you fill out the paperwork this time."

Reiko headed off to the sergeant in charge of the crime scene to account for the evidence she was removing and to fill out, in triplicate, the requisite NYPD forms.

"Here's the landlady, Mrs. Myrna O'Doyle." the Italian-accent patrolman said, producing a tall, willowy woman who kept wringing her hands. "We've already gotten the reports from her for the investigation, so she's all yours.

"Ma'am, I'm detective Asahi Sakurai, NYPD Midtown South. I'll be brief. We need to know anything you can tell us about whoever was renting this house from you."

"Well, I only know his first name—Yataro—and he always mailed in his rent three days beforehand. He worked during the daytime and rarely ever left the house... although one time I did see a delivery truck from an Asian market there, unloading crate after crate of God only knows what," Mrs. O'Doyle said, wringing her hands and looking upwards in recollection.

"Most likely ramen noodles," Asahi said, taking down notes. "Dojin artists rarely eat a well-balanced diet. Do you remember anything else about him?"

Mrs. O'Doyle shook his head. "He had strange people coming to his house, but they always looked so scary. They looked like they were wearing gas masks."

Asahi's hand froze as she heard that line. "Mrs. O'Doyle, can you say that again? Are you absolutely sure they had gas masks on?"

"Well, they had some sort of masks. Wearing all black, too."

"Thank you very much, Mrs. O'Doyle. We appreciate your time. Please don't hesitate to call us if you remember anything else or have any questions."

Mrs. O'Doyle accepted the card and walked back to the other officer, obviously somewhat perturbed.

Asahi turned on her heels and dashed back to the sergeant's car that Reiko was using as an impromptu writing desk. "Get everyone out of here and call in the bomb squad," she said quietly as not to incite a panic.

"Bomb squad?!"

"Yeah. I got a description of our suspect. First name is Yataro, and he's had people wearing suspicious-looking masks and headgear visiting at strange hours. Works all day, never leaves the house all night."

"Damn!" Reiko pounded the roof of the car in frustration. "I'd read about King Jacky, but I didn't know his Yellow Card had expired so soon!"

"Not even Judge Makimura can overturn the New York Circuit Court of Appeals," Asahi said, shaking her head sadly.

Reiko whistled loudly through her fingers and flagged down the sergeant. "Get ESU out here right now and pull everyone out of the building, quietly. We may have explosives at the crime scene."

"You think that someone blew up their own boiler?"

"You ever hear of King Jacky?" Reiko asked back.

"Point. I didn't think he operated outside of Comic Party."

"Well, this may have been his house."

The sergeant, a young-looking woman with dark auburn hair tied back into a bun, nodded sharply and reached for her radio in the cruiser.

"Emergency Services should be here with explosives-disposal teams in twenty minutes," she said after a brief, staticky chatter. "My people haven't even gone in yet."

Reiko nodded. "ESU'll clear you in and then you can do whatever you need. We have to get back to Midtown South and start looking for our culprit. He may have tried to fly the coop."

"Yeah, we'll keep you posted. Thanks for your help, Haga."

"No problem. Asahi, let's hurry back. You drive. I need to talk to the LT."

**Gowanus Expressway, Brooklyn**  
**11:34 AM **

"I guess I can forgive you guys for not bringing back lunch," Lieutenant Inagawa's voice said over Reiko's cell phone speaker. "We've got an APB out for Yataro Kanamori, AKA King Jacky, and let me say that we lucked out BIG on this one."

"I read about the case a while back, lieutenant," Asahi said loud enough for the phone to pick up. "It's still so hard to believe that you were working with ADA Kuhonbutsu... hell, even District Attorney Mikage back then. You guys saved lives."

"Well, it's what we had to do," Lieutenant Inagawa replied over the phone. "But now, we've got our suspect and classic situtation. I just can't believe he's out so early. It's only been a couple of years, and he tried to _kill_ people."

"Thin blue line between the system and chaos, LT," Reiko piped up. "We're about to get into the Battery Tunnel, so we'll probably lose you soon."

"Okay, no need for more updates. Come on back to the precinct. We'll work on tracking Jacky down there if-"

The phone beeped, cutting off as the police car went under the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel.

"So what do we do now?" Asahi asked.

Reiko shrugged. "Last time Jacky's plans went awry, he tried to flee through the roof of Comic Party. Chances are he'll try to take off again. We'll be watching the airports and train stations."

"Shouldn't this go over to Special Investigations? I mean, King Jacky is a serial bomber. We're not trained to deal with serial anything. We just deal with dojinshi."

"Make no mistake, King Jacky is a dojinshi criminal," Reiko said with a growl, her eyes narrowed in anger. "Besides, when that jerk struck, I had the _perfect_ cosplay going on, and when he caused a panic, they had to evacuate everyone before I could premiere it!"

"You mean that really skimpy thing?"

"All the fanboys were drooling..." Reiko said, making exaggerated whines.

"Lucky you. Try being on stage and voice-acting sometime if you want your fanboys!"

The debate over skimpy cosplay vs. pop stardom raged on as the police car went through the tunnel and exited, promptly hitting traffic on the West Side Highway just as it started in lower Manhattan.

"Aw, dammit..." Reiko said with a sigh. "Let's see how long this goes on... is it an eight or one?"

"It's 11:40," Asahi said, turning on the car's stereo. "Should be a traffic update on 1010 in a minute."

"-ing down to forty-seven degrees in the suburbs. If you'd like to set your clocks, the 1010 WINS news time is exactly eleven forty." The radio station let out the time-setter beep, and the all-news radio station went into business news, then traffic at 11:41.

"We'll start off in the Five Boroughs; the Cross-Bronx Eastbound is backed up with a multi-vehicle accident on the Third Avenue off-ramp; westbound traffic is starting to back up with rubbernecking as well. East Side, the FDR Drive is backed up from the 80s all the way to the 30s, take 8th or 10th Avenue to get downtown, but they're not moving anytime soon. The West Side Highway is backed up from the mid-30s all the way back to the Battery Tunnel with a minor riot in the streets; apparently several hundred copies of Cat or Fish?! dojinshi has found its way into the streets and people are clamoring over it. Nobody's getting out of there for a while. Central New Jersey, 287 is-"

"Cat or Fish?! dojinshi?!" the two detectives exclaimed in unison. They shot each other a look.

Asahi sighed. "I'll call lieutenant Inagawa and request some backup," she said, reaching for Reiko's cell phone. "I don't want another high-speed chase today..."

"Glad you called in," Yuu said over the cell phone just as it connected. "You two up for a little cosplay?"

"Cosplay?!"

"We have one Yataro Kanamori who was dumb enough to buy an American Airlines ticket five minutes ago, while you guys were stuck in the tunnel. We know about the drop of comics. Turns out someone was up on the USS Intrepid Museum and just started throwing counterfeit Cat or Fish?! dojinshi off the flight deck. People pounced on it. Eyewitnesses described our friend King Jacky clear as day. He tossed 'em, made a rather spectacular rappelling off the deck of the ship, and headed cross-town. Probably to the subway. The dojinshi disturbance was called in at 11:38, so he must've been on the subway all day getting around. Nice and anonymous."

"When did he have time to buy the ticket?"

"Don't know, but his name cropped up on the passenger list. He's on a flight to Toronto leaving in three hours. God knows where else after that. He probably made the reservation from a pay phone."

"So where do we go, LT?"

"Get to Kennedy Airport, _now,_" Yuu ordered. "I mean we need you there ten minutes ago. That's where you'll be cosplaying."

"Let me guess, we're ticket agents?"

"You're 36-34-38, right?"

"Hey, not so loud!"

"Relax, so what if you're not stick-thin. You work out too much for that," Yuu teased. "Asahi, I won't even _say_ your measurements. Didn't you go through puberty?"

"Lieutenant! That could be qualified as sexual harassment!"

"Take it easy, Asahi, just busting your chops. Contintental'll have ticket attendant uniforms for you. We'll go over the details when you get to JFK. I'll meet you there."

There was a click as Yuu hung up the phone.

"High-speed chase?" Asahi almost whined sadly.

"As close as it gets in dojin investigations," Reiko replied, flicking the switch for the cruiser lights and reefing the car left into opposing traffic, then up onto the median of the West Side Highway.

"REIKO! THIS IS NOT GRAND THEFT AUTO!!"

"Can't hear you, I'm trying to rack up style points here!"

**John F. Kennedy International Airport, Terminal 8**  
**Queens, NY  
****12:30 PM **

"You two look just smashing," Yuu said dryly, looking Reiko and Asahi, resplendent in blue American Airlines ticket agent blazers and nametags, up and down. "So, Ms.... Fulton?" Yuu raised an eyebrow, checking out Reiko's nametag.

"Well, I usually feel better in a costume that I made myself," she said, looking at a mirror in the employee changing lounge. It had been cleared out and filled with five uniformed officers from Midtown South, along with lieutenant Inagawa, who was coordinating over her radio.

"I already see him on the cameras," Asahi said, adjusting her ascot-like uniform necktie and looking at the monitors. "Do we have any plainclothes in the ticket line?"

"We have one in line in front of him, about ten spots ahead," Yuu said, walking over and pointing out an undercover police officer in the ticket line. "Here, that's Connolly. We REALLY lucked out and got someone directly behind Jacky, too; Ramirez, on loan from Narcotics. He's the ghetto boy in the purple Yankee cap."

"I see them," Asahi said with a nod. "I ran the union racket bust last year with Ramirez before he got sent to Narco and I got sent here. He's damn good at blending in."

"Looks like he's doing it well enough. He's right behind Jacky and he doesn't seem to suspect a thing."

King Jacky indeed did not suspect a thing, as he was nervously reading a magazine in line. His bulky, oversized-with-muscles torso made him stand out more than a little in line, but he seemed to believe that the long, slow ticket check-in line was standard fare for the busy international airport.

"Well enough indeed." Reiko hiked up her navy-blue American uniform skirt high enough to strap on a tactical holster to her thigh. "Uch, I hope I never have to run with this thing on. I like cosplay, but I hate when I can't carry a gun anyplace else."

"Yeah, I hear that," Asahi remarked, smoothing the front of her skirt down to cover up her own holster.

"They're going as normal out there. The ticket agents working the line know the story and they're playing ball. We couldn't get enough of our people in to replace them all, so for God's sake, be careful. There are too many people to endanger. Just process his ticket, give it to him, and Connolly'll make the arrest just as he exits the line. Keep it as quiet as you can."

"Right," the two detectives replied in unison.

"Suspect is three back in line," Yuu's radio crackled. Reiko looked up at the monitor, and King Jacky was indeed the third person up in the ticket queue.

"Haga, you take station D. He'll be coming to you. Sakurai, you're at E. Ramirez'll come up. Sakurai will delay Ramirez as long as possible to make sure he stays behind. Connoly will be on the other side of the metal detectors. Roth, Ramsaran, and Schwieder--" Yuu tossed her head to indicate the three uniformed officers—"will come out from the lounge to back you all up. Remember, this man is a bomber. He is to be considered armed and dangerous. We don't want an airport full of panic. Keep it _quiet._"

"Suspect is two back."

"We're on it, L-T," Reiko said with a mock salute.

Yuu chuckled darkly. "You look like you're out of 'You're Under Arrest' in that uniform, Haga," she said with a grin. "Get on out there."

The two detectives nodded, double-checked that their weapons were on safe (While avoiding giving the three uniformed cops an eyeful) and they trotted out, pretending to chat amicably like two co-workers.

Their ticket queues opened up just as King Jacky stepped to the front of the line, and he went right for Reiko.

"Good day, sir," she said cheerily. "May I have your photo identification, please?"

"Sure," Jacky said with nervous gruffness. Reiko maintained her smile as she dutifully punched his name into the ticketing computer system. His worried look was partially masked by a pair of dark, fake-Oakley sunglasses. The scars on his pale white face seemed to throb with nerves.

"Okay, Mr. Kanamori, I have you down for flight 406 to Toronto, leaving at 2:30, in seat 23-D. Will you need any special accommodations at this time?"

"No, just my ticket," Jacky said gruffly. "I'm in a rush."

"Of course, sir. Just one moment, I'll get that ticket printed out. How many bags will you be checking today?"

"None."

Jacky was visibly starting to get nervous, tapping his hand against his hip to some unfathomed rhythm. Reiko went through as many motions as she could imagine a ticket agent going through, in a surprisingly user-friendly environment. She ended up booking a ticket for herself to visit her family in Tokyo for the Christmas and New Year's holidays. Just for kicks, she threw in a seat for Asahi as well, first-class seats all the way. She quickly kicked out a legitimate ticket for Jacky after fiddling with the system a little more.

_Wow, the benefits of cosplay extend beyond drooling fanboys for once... _

"Okay, Mr. Kanamori, here you are. You'll be leaving from gate 14; that's just through the metal detectors, take a left, and it's down two moving sidewalks on your right side." She handed him the boarding pass, which was already voided in the system and would not scan in at the gate.

"Thanks." Jacky took the pass gruffly and marched off towards the security checkpoint. Asahi, seeing him move, gave Ramirez her own 'Here's your ticket' shpiel and sending him on his way. The detectives stepped away from their terminals, about ten paces behind Ramirez and Jacky. They stopped at the divider separating the ticketing areas from the security checkpoints, watching Ramirez's back disappear.

"Excuse me," they heard a voice say in a well-faked Spanish accent. "I no good with English... how to get him to gate, ah, ochenta?"

"Huh?" Jacky's gruff voice exclaimed. There were three beeps from the metal detectors, not at all challenged by the security screeners.

"That's probably Connolly coming through the detectors," Asahi whispered. She reached under her skirt and pulled out her pistol, keeping it out of sight from the line of passengers. "You ready to go, Reiko?"

"I never like drawing my gun," Reiko said, pulling and checking her weapon. "I'm ready."

"Yataro Kanamori?" a deep voice came from around the corner.

"Who wants to- !!"

The abrupt question was cut off with a quick gasp.

"He's turned around. Let's go!"

Reiko and Asahi dashed out from the corner, bringing their police-issue pistols to bear on King Jacky. From ten feet away, he was an easy target, and the three uniformed officers and three undercover detectives already had their guns trained on him.

"Police. You're under arrest for counterfeiting, leaving the scene of an accident, and violation of Yellow Card parole. Put your hands on top of your head and turn around, now!" Officer Connolly was making the call, with the three uniformed cops coming out from behind her. Ramirez had already taken out his gun, holding it to point at the ground, with his badge open in his other hand. Just as Jacky turned around, probably in an attempt to run, he was staring down the badges and guns of Ramirez, Reiko, and Asahi.

"It's over, King Jacky. Give it up." Connolly side-stepped a few steps to cover Jacky's left. The other detectives had already encircled the criminal. "You don't want to make it any worse on yourself. Put your hands on top of your head, now."

Jacky glanced around quickly, balling his hands into fists. "Dammit, you're not taking me alive!" he screamed gutturally, letting out a war cry as he turned around and dashed towards Asahi, easily the least-intimidating looking out of all the other police on the scene.

Looks deceived King Jacky once again in his criminal career. As he had been thrashed soundly at Comic Party during his serial-bomber days, he made even less of an attack against detective Asahi Sakurai. With a swift sidestep, she grabbed Jacky's arm, slid her leg in front of his knee, and flipped him to the floor, pinning his left arm back in a painful submission hold. Reiko quickly dashed in, caught a pair of handcuffs that a uniformed officer threw to her, and grabbed Jacky's other arm. She wrestled it into place and clasped the handcuffs around his wrists.

"You have the right to remain silent," Reiko said as she and Asahi pulled King Jacky to his feet. "If you choose to waive this right, anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney, and to have an attorney present at questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed without cost or obligation to you by the court. Do you understand these rights that I have just read to you?"

Jacky was roaring with rage during the entire reading of his rights, thrashing about rather ineffectively thanks to the four officers holding the big, muscular crook down. "LET GO! LET ME **GO!!!**" he screamed, effectively drawing all attention in the check-in area of the terminal to him, as if the arrest itself had not yet done so. The uniformed officers hauled Jacky off to a waiting patrol car at the terminal entrance area, lights flashing. Reiko and Asahi tucked their guns into the waistbands of their skirts and headed back to the employee lounge.

"Job well done, ladies," lieutenant Inagawa greeted them, planting a hand firmly on each of their soldiers. "Feel free to strike a victorious pose before we head back and fill out some paperwork."

"Heh. No problems whatsoever," Reiko said, winking and holding her fingers up in a V-for-victory symbol.

"One less bad guy in the world!" Asahi said, tossing her hair about, grinning, and planting her hands on her hips.

A camera flash stunned both of them. "Perfect," Yuu said, tucking a small digital camera away. "I think all the boys at the station will have a nice new pinup once I get this mailed out."

"We won't forget this, Lieutenant Inagawa," Asahi said angrily, not able to help the grin across her face.

"Yeah. Don't you know it's polite to _ask_ before you take a cosplayer's photo?"

"Let's head back. I'll buy you guys a drink after we get off."

**To be continued...**


	3. Indictment

**A/N**: Whew, I got it done before the end of Wednesday! The thing is, I actually get to experience part of the judicial system this week; I have jury duty scheduled for Thursday and Friday. :-/ I'm all for civic duty, but I make $15 an hour at my job, and Essex County will reimburse me $5 a day for my troubles. It's gas money, but that's about it. I hope I get knocked out, but if I don't get knocked out, hopefully the trial will provide better reference material than all the episodes of Law & Order I've watched in the past. 

I didn't end up going to Florida last week because of Hurricane Jeanne, but I'll be going in mid-November. So I get an earlier-ish Winter vacation to where it's nice and warm. It got me thinking about the holidays; I was going to do a holiday special fanfic, but it got me thinkin' about all that jazz early. I might start on that next. But in any case, Comic & Party is going to be wrapped up in the next chapter. It's turning more into Law & Order... this is my last crossover fic for a long, long time.

All of the court precedent cases are entirely fictional. I made them up. If you're a promising law scholar and want to tell me the comparable names and significance of actual relevant cases (Within New York state law, of course) feel free to tell me what they are and I'll update the story.

On with the show!

**_Chapter 3: Indictment_**

**New York Supreme Court  
****100 Centre Street  
****10:45 AM, April 27th, 2005**

"Docket number 847201-D, the People vs. Yataro Kanamori, AKA 'King Jacky,' charges are resisting arrest, assault on a police officer, parole term violation with intent, failure to report property damage from an incendiary device, deliberate detonation of an incendiary device within Kings County, and counterfeit of intellectual property in the first degree." The court bailiff read off King Jacky's litany, much to the chagrin of the bemuscled criminal. The bespectacled arraignment judge accepted the court file from the bailiff, read it over briefly, and set it down. "How do you plead, Mr. Kanamori?" the judge asked over the clamor of the busy arraigning court.

"Aya Hasebe for the defense, your honor. My client pleads not guilty."

"The people request remand, your honor," ADA Chisa Tsukamoto said in a voice far too lively for the courtroom.

"My client is far from a flight risk, your honor," Aya said. "He has been monitored and compliant with the terms of his Yellow Card parole, and-"

"I don't want to hear it, counselor," the judge said with a swiftness that would make Judge Judy seem like a kindergarten teacher. "Your client was apprehended at the airport with a plane ticket out of the country, in his name, after he blew up his basement. He attempted to flee arrest and strike an officer, and I'm sure that the ticket agents at Kennedy didn't appreciate the disturbance. Bail is set at one million dollars, cash or bond, the defendant will surrender his passport. Next case." The judge banged her gavel, and the attorneys cleared the presenting tables while Jacky was led away, still in handcuffs.

"Ms. Hasebe, Chisa doesn't want to drag this out," the young ADA said as she approached her counterpart. "We're prepared to knock off the other charges if Mr. Kanamori pleads guilty to the counterfeit charge at the state level."

"I'm sorry, but I can't accept that," Aya shook her head. "There is no proof that my client even committed the intellectual property theft in question. The investigation says that the counterfeits were picked up by a female who was posing as Eimi Oba, and my client is clearly not female."

"Ms. Hasebe, we've already been contacted by the US Attorney. They want to prosecute this in federal court. You realize that the federal prosecution guidelines and sentencing are much harsher, and in this case, they would have a clear case."

"Then the US Attorney will have to make their case through the normal channels." The two lawyers swiftly walked down the marble corridors of the stately courthouse. "We will not be intimidated by threats that cannot be proven. Moreover, the counterfeit material in question is a dojinshi, which is already questionable in terms of copyright law. The copyright owners themselves would then be entitled to extract damages from Ms. Oba as well, and then you have no case whatsoever against my client. He was merely making copies of illegal material."

"Which is prosecutable as well; People v. Gintor Networks, Inc. Furthering illegal copies of illegal material is punishable by no less than four years' imprisonment and two Yellow Cards."

"Whatever the case, my client is innocent. And it'll remain that way." Aya handed over a folded-up stack of stapled papers. "My motion to dismiss on the basis of discriminatory actions. We'll see you at trial."

**Office of the District Attorney**  
**1 Hogan Place  
****12:15 PM **

"She didn't take it? Of course she didn't," District Attorney Subaru Mikage said with a sigh, flopping back into her desk chair. "It'd help if the US Attorney already contacted us, but they're not touching this with a ten-foot touching pole."

"This dismissal motion does hold some water indeed," ADA Taishi Kuhonbutsu said, scanning the document. "'The police failed to establish an evidentiary connection between Mr. Kanamori, arresting him on the basis of the suspected counterfeit materials being found in his residence. In People v. Lukuss, the Supreme Court of New York found that the possession of a quantity of copied documents without the proof of the copying of said documents does not constitute a chain of evidence, and in this case, no positive identification has been made of Mr. Kanamori being the copier of the dojinshi.'"

"Lukuss dealt with office information thievery by a disgruntled employee," Chisa interjected. "This is a commercial enterprise designed to capitalize off of the name and work of another person, not an organized entity."

"But in this case, we have the same situation. No actual proof that Yataro Kanamori was ever the one making the payment or the pickup. It could be Joe Schmoe or President Kerry who did it," Subaru replied, reading over the police paperwork. "Chisa, you feel like calling your cousin?"

"Subaru!" Chisa squeaked. "Chisa loves her family dearly, even distant second cousins, but you know very well that it'd violate the victim's right to a fair hearing."

"I'm just kidding!" Subaru grinned maliciously, walking over to Taishi and handing him the report. "Let's get a line-up running. See if Mr. Kanamori makes a good female."

**Riker's Island Correctional Facility**  
**1:38 PM **

"Ms. Hasebe, it's good to see you again," Taishi said cordially, shaking Aya's hand as he entered the witness area of the lineup room.

"Likewise. I thought your colleague was handling this case?"

"Nice try, but we're not going to jeopardize our position by having two relatives, no matter how distant, be connected from the DA's office to the courtroom."

"You never were an easy one to deal with, Taishi. What about our counter-offer?"

"Absolutely zero chance. Your client is responsible for a large-scale counterfeit operation and is a known criminal. His antipathy towards Comic Party in general was only offset by Judge Makimura's initial sense of giving him another chance. I'm not questioning the fact that we drew her for the trial, but I'm not letting it go that easily, either. We're not pleading to a lesser offense."

"That's too bad. We're prepared to move for reassignment."

"It won't happen."

"Let's hope that Judge Makimura thinks that way as well."

A knock on the door defused the terse comments between district and defense attorney. "Tsukamoto is here," a corrections officer said, poking his head in.

"Send him on in."

The scraggly-bearded youth appeared through the thick glass door, glancing around the darkened room, lit only by the lights from the line-up area through a one-way mirror. "I'm in the right place, right?" he asked.

"Yes. I'm Assistant District Attorney Taishi Kuhonbutsu. I'll be prosecuting the case. This is Aya Hasebe, attorney for the defense." Aya nodded at Genji. "Mr. Tsukamoto, we are asking you to identify the person you delivered the dojinshi order to on the Comic Party in question. You'll be shown six individuals. Please pick out the one you're sure that you saw. We just need you to sign this affadavit."

Taishi slid the sheet of paper and a pen across the small table in the witness room to Genji, who peered at it confusingly.

"This is just to attest that you haven't been cajoled, convinced, hinted at, or otherwise clued in to the identity of the suspect," Aya explained. "It ensures that you haven't been tainted by the process, that neither myself, Mr. Kuhonbutsu, or anyone else has told you anything about our client."

"Okay..." Genji nodded, trying his best to scan the document. Shrugging, he signed his name on the line and dated it. "I mean, I don't know who the guy is, but I'll try."

"Thank you." Aya accepted the paper and folded it up. "We'll copy you in on it," she said to Taishi.

Taishi nodded and pressed on an intercom button. "We're ready in here."

A door opened on the left side of the lineup room, and six prisoners, all in Riker's coveralls, walked out, holding a number from 1 to 6.

"Hey, isn't number 4... isn't he that guy who was in the papers a while back?"

"Neither of us can answer any questions, Mr. Tsukamoto," Aya said. "Please identify the number that is the person you saw."

"Geez... if I didn't know that it was King Jacky, I'd say it was number 4... but with a ridiculous-looking red wig."

"Red wig?" the two attorneys asked in unison.

"Yeah, looked pretty weird. Like a sideways ponytail. Dressed like a woman, too. Green sailor-uniform shirt, denim skirt, white stockings, like. Kinda reminded me of one of our other clients, some other dojinshi circle called Brother 2."

The attorneys' eyes met, no longer displaying animosity towards one another, but a spark of familiarity.

"Thank you, Mr. Tsukamoto. We'll contact you again if we need you."

Taishi looked over his shoulder until the door closed and the suspects filed out of the lineup area. "Aya, what are you doing on this case?" Taishi asked. "Tell me, honestly, why did King Jacky ask you to be his attorney?"

Aya sighed. "It's my job," she said. "I have to keep the wolves from the door somehow."

"But out of all the firms in all the office buildings, why did you get the call?"

"You know I can't tell you that, Taishi. I won't break the attorney-client privilege."

"I can compel you to turn over your records."

"Go ahead," Aya said calmly, closing her briefcase and picking it up. "Go to the grand jury and get an indictment to force a change in representation for Mr. Kanamori. We'll take it right to federal court, and while we're at it, we'll have the charges dismissed after the feds prosecute Eimi Oba for criminal copyright infringement and Mr. Kanamori gets a slap-on-the-wrist possession fine."

Taishi clenched his fist. "If you're hiding something worse than Jacky, for whatever reason, you're out of the range of the state and it goes right to federal. Do you really want to stare the Patriot Act in the face!?"

"I don't need you trying to play the hero, Taishi," Aya said, still with the calmness of a lake. "I'll see you at trial."

**Office of the District Attorney**  
**1 Hogan Place  
****2:40 PM**

"Two hours wasted," Taishi said, opening the door to his office to find Chisa waiting for him. "Two damn hours only to get a bad lineup. We can't match what he gave us!"

"Genji couldn't match King Jacky to the pickup?" Chisa asked, pouring a mug of coffee and handing it to Taishi.

"I'll pass, thanks. I don't need any more caffeine today." He tossed his suit jacket over the back of his chair and twirled it left and right idly. "He tried to pass himself off as Mizuki."

"Eeeh? Mizuki Takase?"

"The same. 'He' had a long red ponytail and one of Mizuki's outfits. This can't be good."

"Should we put protection on Mizuki?"

Taishi lifted his phone and punched a few buttons. "Let's get right on it, then. Jacky's got followers and Brother 2 was part of the team that busted him originally at Comic Party. It can't be good that he's impersonating them."

**Rainbow Falafel  
****26 East 17th Street  
****12:47 PM, April 28th, 2005**

"One shawerma platter one falafel platter, two Diet Snapple, here's your change come again." The brusqueness of the Syrian girl behind the counter was standard New York, but in Kazuki Sendo's eyes, worth every moment of brevity for the legendary food at the hole-in-the-wall Middle Eastern joint. Carrying the thick paper bag with the two take-out containers of food and a seperate bag of pita bread towards Union Square Park, he turned crosstown just in time to see the glimmer of a badge and a familiar grin."

"Reiko!" Kazuki exclaimed, returning his friend's hug. "Fancy seeing you around here. What's up?"

"Oh, just in the neighborhood, defending justice and punishing evil in the name of the moon," Reiko replied with a wink, a grin, and the trademark finger-pointing of a certain Tsukino Usagi. "This is my partner, Asahi Sakurai."

"Oh, the former pop singer?"

"I'm just another detective, Mr. Sendo. Nice to meet you." The two shook hands.

"I was just swinging by from work to Mizuki her lunch; care to join us?"

"Actually, Kazuki, Asahi and I need to speak with you and Mizuki," Reiko said. "I don't know if you've heard, but King Jacky was arrested a few days ago trying to flee the country."

Kazuki's happy visage melted a little at that. "I thought... I mean, wasn't he-"

"On parole? He bounced it, Kazuki. Jacky's not out on bail; he'd have to pony up a really big bond or cash payment to get out. But we're concerned for the safety of you and Mizuki."

He nodded. "She's in the park, working on a shoot."

* * *

"He's out?!" Mizuki Takase exclaimed, tossing her small walkie-talkie to a staff underling at her commercial shoot.

"That's right, Ms. Takase," Asahi said after the detectives had explained what was going on. "We've been asked to protect you, given your past involvement with Jacky and the trial standing. We have no reason to believe that you or Mr. Sendo are in any danger at all, but we'll have police officers on constant standby near your places of residence and business."

Mizuki squeezed Kazuki's hand. "I didn't want to get involved with this..." she moaned. "All these damn crazy otaku are just so..."

Kazuki fell to the ground, writhing in pain. "Mizukiii... cartilaaaage..."

"Um, Mizuki, we're here to defend you both, but we'd rather not have to defend Kazuki from you..."

"Oh, sorry!"

* * *

"Thank you, detective. Be sure to keep us posted." Subaru hung up the phone. "Detectives Haga and Sakurai are coordinating a 24-hour guard around Kazuki Sendo and Mizuki. Taishi, you and I are entitled to the same, and Ms. Oba has already declined police protection. The Comic Party staff is cooperating in providing the security tapes to coordinate Mizuki and Jacky's movements in the convention hall; we'll have the tapes in about three hours."

Taishi nodded. "Eimi was never one to fear much of anything. I doubt that you or I will need it, considering our dealings with Jacky in the past."

Subaru nodded. "But now we have to worry about this dismissal motion."

Chisa pulled a leather-bound law volume from under her arm. "I found something that should help us," she said, flipping to a marked page. "People v. Lukuss knocked possession out of the chain of evidence to indicate distribution, but People v. Onishii pointed that the recipient of a distribution shipment constitutes the intent to sell or re-sell that shipment so long as there was no warehousing involved by the recipient."

"Sounds like a plan. When are we in tomorrow?"

"Chisa managed to get the hearing put in at 2 tomorrow," the young ADA perked up. "Judge Makimura will hear both that and the recusal motion concurrently."

"Good," Subaru said, picking up her phone and dialing a number. "Aya's technique is deceiving. She never raises her voice, she's always respectful, doesn't say anything that doesn't need to be said. But when she does say something, watch out, because it's usually right on the money. Yes, I'm looking for Security Operations? Thank you." Subaru juggled the phone and her ADAs expertly at times like this. "Just don't go in without counter-arguments. Oh, hello, this is District Attorney Mikage. We spoke earlier..."

**New York Supreme Court**  
**100 Centre Street  
****2:00 PM, April 29th, 2005**

"All rise! Court is in session, the honorable Judge Minami Makimura presiding."

The bailiff's announcement preceded the door opening from the judge's chambers. Minami Makimura, Justice of the State of New York, strode into the room clad in the black robes of a judge. She stepped up the small steps to her podium accoutrement, sat down, and nodded at the bailiff. "Please be seated, everyone," she said to the modestly populated courtroom. The plaintiff and defendant's tables had Taishi and Chisa on the plaintiff's side, while Aya was representing the defendant. Jacky still sat in prime real estate at Riker's Island.

"This is motion number A-114 in docket number 847201-D, People v. Kanamori, your honor, hearing for motion to dismiss."

"King Jacky again?" Minami said, sighing and smiling. "Very well. Ms. Hasebe, you may begin."

"Thank you, your honor. I am moving to dismiss this case under state statute, title V, chapter 4, paragraph 1: 'undue discriminatory practices against a paroled Yellow Card offender shall not be practiced by the State, by agents of the State, or by appointed representatives thereof unless due process, probable cause, or otherwise reasonable suspicion shall be executed under all necessary Titles and Practices.' The police have infringed upon my client's rights to travel freely and to pursue his profession and liberty following within the conditions of his parole. Mr. Kanamori has been accused of running a counterfeit dojinshi ring, but the dojinshi has been found in his possession and the police have no evidentiary connection between Mr. Kanamori and the counterfeit dojinshi in question. I am moving for dismissal of this case on the grounds that my client has been targeted due to his status as an ex-convict."

"Very well. The people's response?"

Chisa stepped up from the table, smoothed down her dark navy skirt, and walked up into the area before the judge's podium. "Your honor, the people intend to prove that Mr. Kanamori is an habitual offender against Comic Party, LLC., and all subsidiaries and operations thereof. He is an unrepentant criminal with a history of extremely violent offenses. He violated two conditions of his parole: one, that he failed to immediately report any incidents that he witnesses or is involved in, directly or indirectly; two, he fled said incident, already a crime under state law; three, he attempted to travel outside the borders of the State of New York without seeking prior approval from the Parole Board; finally, he attempted to leave the country without summary approval of federal authorities or the Parole Board. Moreover, we have evidence that does indeed prove Mr. Kanamori took delivery of a shipment of the counterfeit dojinshi with intent to distribute it."

"Objection," Aya said, standing.

"On what grounds?" Minami asked, turning to the defense attorney.

"The defense has not received any information of such evidence, your honor, and wishes to point out that Yellow Card offenses and above require immediate communication on official record of such evidence. Suleyman v. United States."

"The people wish to enter Exhibit C, your honor, and are prepared to enter such onto the record accordingly."

"Let the record show that Exhibit C is hereby submitted," Minami said. "Objection is overruled. Counsel, approach." Minami set down her gavel and beckoned to the two attorneys. She covered up the recording microphone to speak privately.

"I don't like my courtroom to be used as a theatre, Ms. Tsukamoto," Minami said with a smile. "Keep this up and I'll have to have you removed from the case."

"Your honor, I request a recess until the evidence can be reviewed by the defense," Aya said.

"Suleyman upholds that immediate communication on official record can be constituted by presentation during hearings, your honor," Chisa countered.

"Request denied. I can't do your work for you, Ms. Hasebe." Minami removed her hand from the microphone. "Step back."

The attorneys returned to their tables. "Continuing, your honor, the people present exhibit C, the testimony of Mr. Genji Tsukamoto, at a line-up conducted on April 27th." Chisa proceeded to read off the transcribed dialogue from the lineup. "The people also submit for the record exhibit D, a security camera photo from Comic Party." Chisa passed a blown-up photograph print to the bailiff, who in turn passed it to Minami. "This is a frame from a security camera at the spring Comic Party, taken on April 16th, 2005, at 8:37 AM."

Chisa handed a copy of the photo to Aya. "This photograph matches the person described by Mr. Genji Tsukamoto setting up a table at Comic Party with the dojinshi that he delivered. Exhibits E through H are also security camera photos of the suspect receiving the delivery, stamping for it, carrying it himself, and making an obscene gesture at the camera."

The photos were indeed of King Jacky, wearing a red wig with a ponytail on the side, and a fair replica of a green sailor-type shirt, denim skirt, and sneakers, in the actions as described by Chisa.

Minami received the photos and looked at Aya. "Counselor, do you have a rebuttal to this evidence?"

Aya blinked twice. "I do not, your honor."

"Then it appears that this evidence stands, as does the case. Motion to dismiss is denied." Minami banged her gavel once. "Now, moving on, I've reviewed both sides' responses to the motion to have me recused from this case, and the circuit court has declined certiorari for review. I have no reason to recuse myself, so I will not do so at this time. The case remains open; trial proceedings will commence on May 16th. Court is adjourned." She banged her gavel once again and stood up, clearing the courtroom. Just as Taishi was patting Chisa on the shoulder and talking strategy, Aya approached the prosecution team.

"One count of misdemeanor infringement, no intent, my client does the full sentence on a no-contest plea," Aya offered. "We can end it here and now."

"After your dismissal argument is completely disproven?" Taishi almost scoffed. "I don't think so. Unless you can produce the proverbial evil twin, we'll see Mr. Kanamori prosecuted on all counts. That is, unless you're willing to accept our first offer."

"I can always contact the copyright holders and refer them to one of my partners. He specializes in international copyright disputes."

"You go ahead and do that. Land your client, whom you're defending, in jail for criminal possession."

"And then you shut down a prime industry in New York, part of the cultural landscape. Do you think the West Side Redevelopment Corporation would keep you on after shutting down a big-time moneymaker scheduled to coincide with the Olympics in a few years?"

"I can call the FBI right now, Mr. Kuhonbutsu," Aya said in a lower, less-polite voice, pulling a small cell phone from her handbag and dialing in numbers. "The New York office busts bootleggers and copyright infringers in Chinatown all the time. A midtown apartment should be no problem, and Eimi Oba's address is quite the public record.

Chisa opened her mouth to urge Aya to back down, but Taishi held up her hand. "She won't do it," Taishi said, still staring Aya down. "If the dojinshi industry collapses, so do millions of dollars a month in convention fees, taxes, and city revenues via the Javits Center. The West Side Redevelopment Corporation is an arm of the City of New York to prepare for the Olympics. No attorney would jeopardize such a lucrative position, not even the legendary 'Iceberg' Hasebe."

Taishi and Aya stared each other down in the courtroom; the former's eyes narrowed behind his Lennon-frame glasses, the latter quite calmly looking back at him.

Aya pressed the Send button and held the phone up to her ear. "It's ringing," she said calmly.

"Taishi!" Chisa exclaimed. "We're going to lose him to a nothing charge!"

Taishi grinned. "She won't do it."

"FBI, New York Office, this is Special Agent Brown," a tinny voice from the cell phone's speaker echoed.

"Yes..." Aya said into the phone, looking back at the worried gaze of Chisa and the steely gaze of Taishi.

"I... I'm sorry, I have the wrong number," she said, thumbing the End button and setting down her cell phone, exhaling.

"You haven't changed a bit, Aya," Taishi said, picking up his briefcase. "We'll see you at trial."

"How did you know she was going to hang up?!" Chisa exclaimed, stomping out besides Taishi. "Chisa can't believe that you almost threw away the case on a hunch!"

"A hunch?" Taishi laughed. "My sister, it's true that Aya Hasebe never does anything undeliberately. She wasn't going to call the FBI then and there. She's going to call the FBI if she loses this case."

"But it's almost obvious she's going to lose it!"

"Not quite," Taishi said. "Let's swing by the 21st Precinct on the way back. I want to show you something."

**Midtown South Precinct**  
**3:10 PM**

"Well, if it isn't the hotshot DAs," Lieutenant Inagawa greeted the attorneys. "Here it is; fresh from the property locker."

"I thought as much, Comrade," Taishi said, reverting to his more casual outside-the-office forms of address. "Look right here, on the bottom."

Chisa peered down at the corner of the back cover, far beneath the Cat or Fish?! logo of the original dojinshi, purchased from Eimi Oba herself. "Chisa's never seen a disclaimer this small," she said, peering at the fine print through a magnifying glass. "Is that even legal?"

"It doesn't matter if it's Arial 12 or Small Fonts 2," Yuu said proudly. "The best dojin authors don't let American copyright law interfere with their art, parody disclaimer or not."

"She can call the FBI all she likes," Taishi said, examining the disclaimer for herself. "Eimi Oba may be egotistical, conceited, and a damn fine dojin artist, but she does cover her bases."

"Chisa understands perfectly," she said with a grin. 

"So all that's left is to make sure Jacky's minions don't try anything while you guys send him up the river for good this time?" Yuu asked. "It'd be nice to have him off the streets."

"You keep 'em from violence, we'll put the leader away."

_**To be continued...**_


	4. Sentencing

**A/N:** My jury service got cancelled. It wouldn't have mattered, since I found out that I get paid for my job while I would have been serving. Either way, you guys got the last chapter early, but I think that this one'll take a little while longer.

This is the final chapter, and I'm working on my next project already. I've got a framework down pat... but I'm still fighting the battle between keeping it in the Nameless Grace AU or keeping it totally within the canon.

In any case, I think that from the lack of comments, this is my equivalent of Hushigi Senshi York... yeah, this was fun to write, but it's not the magnum opus I'd hoped it to be.

I've been watching Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien a lot, so expect that sort of dramatic angst that made The Nameless Grace so great. I hope I'll be able to get it to work out...

If anyone wants to beta-read, E-mail me!

Either way, expect more romance in my next story. There needs to be more Comic Party romance.

On with the show!

* * *

**_Chapter 4: Sentencing_**

**Trial Part 78**  
**New York Supreme Court  
****May 19th, 2005  
****1:45 PM**

"Mr. Kanamori, do you recognize the person in this photograph?" Taishi said exasperatedly, having been through several such images already.

"I choose not to answer as not to incriminate myself," King Jacky gruffly answered, arms crossed defiantly.

Taishi advanced the slide, which was Jacky in his absurd costume stamping the dojinshi delivery from Genji Tsukamoto. He came up on Jacky setting down the box of dojinshi on his table. "Mr. Kanamori, do you recognize the person in _this_ photograph?"

"I choose not to answer as not to incriminate myself."

"Your honor, permission to treat Mr. Kanamori as hostile?"

"Mr. Kanamori is within his Fifth Amendment rights, Mr. Kuhonbutsu. Denied. Please ask your next question."

"Mr. Kanamori," Taishi set down the slide controller and walked up to the witness stand. "were you not incarcerated and penalized with a Yellow Card for a past prosecution for threatening violence at Comic Party?"

"I choose not to answer as not to incriminate myself."

"Exhibit H, your honor: Mr. Yataro Kanamori's criminal record, stating that on June 18th, 2002, the accused was sentenced to five years' imprisonment and a lifetime Yellow Card."

"Exhibit H will be entered," Judge Makimura said after the bailiff handed her the evidence. "So noted. Continue, counselor."

"Mr. Kanamori, did you purchase a fake ID at 182 Bleecker Street with a falsified photo of Eimi Oba?"

"I choose not to answer as not to incriminate myself."

"Mr. Kanamori, you may as well answer to speed this along. Exhibit I, your honor, the affadavit of one Yussuf Hazmiri, owner of Bleecker Pipe and Tobacco, affirming that he did indeed create a false Michigan drivers' license under the name of Eimi Oba, with a corresponding photograph of Ms. Oba. Exhibit J is a photocopy of said drivers' license, submitted to Tsukamoto Printers as contact information for Ms. Oba as part of a drop-off order."

"So noted. Continue, Mr. Kuhonbutsu."

"Mr. Kanamori, do you have anything to say in your defense?"

King Jacky remained silent.

"Mr. Kanamori," Taishi continued, his voice adopting a bored air, casting a sidelong glance at the jury. "After you collected the dojinshi from Mr. Tsukamoto, did you sell them at Comic Party?"

"I choose not to answer as not to incriminate myself."

"I present once again exhibit E, your honor, from the security camera recordings of section A-14 of the Javits Convention Center during Comic Party. We see Mr. Kanamori, in the disguise that was confirmed by Mr. Tsukamoto, setting up a sign: 'Cat Or Fish?! Special Co-Release, $5.'"

"So entered."

"Mr. Kanamori, again, do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Still silence.

"No further questions." Taishi stepped back from his rapid-fire questioning as Aya stepped up.

"Yataro..." she began gently. "Do you have any grudges against Eimi Oba?"

"No. No, I don't," Jacky answered gruffly.

"Have you ever met Ms. Oba?"

"No."

"Have you ever obtained one of Ms. Oba's dojinshis before a Comic Party?"

"No."

"Objection!" Taishi said, standing up. "The defendant is perjuring himself before the court, your honor!"

"Counsel, approach," Minami beckoned, covering the microphone with her hand.

"Your honor, the people have no evidence as to my client ever having any of Ms. Oba's dojinshis at any point in time."

"Judge Makimura, evidence duly submitted shows that a Cat or Fish dojinshi was submitted as the original to Tsukamoto printers!" Taishi exclaimed in a whisper. "The defense is wasting the court's time!"

Minami thought for a moment. "Burden of proof, Mr. Kuhonbutsu," Minami said, shaking her head. "The people have yet to indicate how that dojinshi came into the hands of Tsukamoto Printers." She withdrew her hand from the microphone. "Overrulled. The witness' testimony stands."

"Your honor, the people request a recess so the facts can be determined in relation to Mr. Kanamori's question and to determine whether or not he is to be charged with perjury."

"Denied. Proceed, counselor."

"No further questions, your honor."

"Redirect, your honor!" Taishi exclaimed, taking a sheet of paper on which Chisa had written a quick note. "Mr. Kanamori, do you have any reason to doubt the authenticity of the dojinshi that was delivered to you by Mr. Tsukamoto, which you _then sold for a profit without the authorization of the original property owner?!_" Taishi angrily finished this last line, propping one foot up on the floor of the witness stand, inches away from Jacky.

"Why would I?" Jacky spat back, then caught himself. "I mean, I choose not to answer as not to incriminate myself!"

"Your honor, permission to treat the witness as hostile. This question, if nothing else, incriminates Tsukamoto Printing!"

"Very well, the witness will answer. Mr. Kanamori?"

"Wait, but... no way! I'm not answering that!" He glanced at the jury, at the prosecutors, and finally at his attorney. "C'mon, what're they paying you for?! DO SOMETHING!"

"Objection! Badgering the witness!" Aya said, standing up.

"Overrulled!" Minami banged her gavel twice to quiet down the two attorneys, not to mention the now-packed courtroom full of whispering voices. "I will not hesitate to clear this courtroom! Mr. Kanamori, you will answer the question."

"I will ask again," Taishi immediately picked up before any pauses could come to pass. "Mr. Kanamori... do you have any reason to believe that the dojinshi which you accepted, and then sold, at a profit, without the authorization of the original property owner--" Taishi turned to face the jury—"which is a violation of copyright law, the violation in question..." he turned back. "Do you have any reason to believe that you were delivered non-authentic dojinshi?"

A heartbeat passed before Kanamori grit his teeth.

"I won't answer that question. I plead the Fifth. I will not answer as to not incriminate myself," he said quietly through clenched teeth, his hands balled into fists.

"Your honor, this constitutes contempt of court."

"That it does. Mr. Kanamori, this is the last time I will say this." Minami turned on her accoutrement and faced King Jacky, staring the villain in the eye as best she could from her height above him. "If you do not answer this question, I will be forced to hold you in contempt of court, which carries a fine of one thousand dollars and a minimum of six months' imprisonment. Your best interest, and the law, is to answer the question at the judge's order. Answer the question, Mr. Kanamori."

Jacky remained silent.

Minami sighed. "Bailiff, Mr. Yataro Kanamori is hereby found in contempt of court under chapter 565, article 20, paragraph 2005, for failure to adhere to a binding order from a judge. Please take him into custody."

The court officer stood Jacky up and led him off by the arm.

"Does the prosecution have further questions on the redirect?" Minami asked after she banged the gavel to quiet the courtroom.

"We have many more questions, your honor," Taishi said, bringing his briefcase around on the table.

"Then they'll have to wait. This court is in recess until Monday when Mr. Kanamori can be returned from an arraignment for contempt." Another bang of the gavel dismissed the courtroom for the day.

**Office of the District Attorney**  
**3:45 PM**

"Ms. Hasebe, I'm afraid your visit here will be a short one," Taishi said, opening the glass-panel door to the DA conference room.

"We're willing to take the drop for the state counterfeit charge. Five to ten, my client pays the minimum fine."

"Not happening. We have intent enough in the security camera photos and proof enough in his accepting and selling of the dojinshi. Do you honestly think we'd let your client back on the streets for anything less than ten years and the full fine?" Taishi pulled down a law book and flipped through it. "Even if you turn around and try Ms. Oba in federal court, the trial would collapse. There is no license in the United States for Card Master Peach, therefore this is not binding under current international treaty."

Aya quietly sat, flipping through her own papers. "Mr. Kuhonbutsu, I have here a cease-and-desist order from Maple Leaf International, the Japanese production company-"

"—which has no commerce license from the Japanese government to market themselves overseas," Taishi said, flipping the law book around and sliding it across the oak conference table to Aya. "United Nations Copyright and Intellectual Property Chapters, article 14, title 329, paragraph fifty-four: 'the copyright enforcement of intellectual property shall be enforced by the properly licensed organizations or agencies of the copyright holder so recognized by the government of that nation.'"

Taishi sat down across from Aya, who didn't even bother to look down at the law book. "We're not going to settle for anything less than the maximum penalty under the law. King Jacky is an habitual offender, a proven threat to Comic Party and the people of the State of New York. Do you really think we'd leave him roaming?"

"I doubt that you would," Aya said. "But what about his followers?"

"Excuse me?"

"His followers. The people he worked in concert with that were arrested after the bombing attempt of Comic Party."

"What about them?"

Aya leaned forward. "Mr. Kuhonbutsu, my professional ethics require me to provide the best defense for my client. If I was to simply plead him to the maximum penalty, I would be disbarred in a second. However, what if I was to offer my client's services in apprehending the continuation of this copyright infringement scheme as party to a plea deal?"

Taishi leaned back. "So, you're threatening to leave Jacky's minions loose for the police to clean up? Make no mistake, Ms. Hasebe, the NYPD's Dojinshi Investigation Unit will track them down, just as they did their leader."

"Not until all this happens again," Aya said, reaching into her briefcase and pulling out a dojinshi. "The latest release from Cat or Fish?!, just purchased at ComiNext last weekend. This one was signed by Eimi Oba herself."

Taishi accepted the dojinshi and paged through it. "It's Oba quality, to be sure, but what does this have to do with King Jacky?"

Aya pulled out another copy of the same dojinshi. "This, too, was purchased at ComiNext. A small table in the corner, paid for in cash, most likely. They sold several thousand copies at $5 a copy, same price as Ms. Oba's herself. Next time, it'll be more, for cheaper, and then Dojinshi Investigation will no longer have dojinshi to investigate."

"Point taken," Taishi said, comparing the new counterfeit and the original side-by-side. "We want all the minions. Then we'll talk."

**1701 Meadowlands Turnpike  
****Secaucus, NJ  
****May 25th, 2005, ****10:15 AM**

"Yeah, what'da ya want?" the burly mechanic asked as two women he had never met before walked up to his garage.

"NYPD," Reiko said as she and Asahi flashed their badges. "We need to speak with a..." she checked a sheet of paper. "Shiunji Katsuho?"

"Oh, Big Shin? Yeah, he's in the back."

"Thank you." Reiko pulled out a portable radio from her belt clip. "Two-seven, this is Haga, move in."

Out of nowhere, several police cars jetted up, sirens blaring; they cut off the driveway of the garage and the streets leading up to it. From the bushes that led off to Route 3, several figures in black combat harnesses and armor emerged, toting submachine guns.

"Go! Go! Go!" a voice called out from the assault team, who entered the garage and fanned out. The mechanics dropped their tools and held their hands up, summarily being searched and led off by the Emergency Services Unit SWAT team.

"We've got him," a radio call came out. "Suspect has been arrested; we're bringing him out."

"Copy that," Lieutenant Inagawa replied from her cruiser. "Search the place and let's let these people get on with their day."

The bustle of police activity stepped up as crime scene investigators moved in to photograph and catalog the arrest. Reiko and Asahi sidestepped the flow of SWAT officers and investigators, accepting coffee from Yuu. "How're the others doing?" Asahi asked.

"Tachikawa checked in before our takedown. She got Ryu Kusakabe as he was about to make a pickup from another print shop in Jersey. Right in the act, as a matter of fact. There's just one more left, according to Jacky's list. Tadamichi Ushihara, lives in Spanish Harlem. Should be going on right now."

"Two-seven for the LT," Yuu's radio crackled.

"Speak of the devil," she remarked. "Two-seven, Inagawa here," she replied.

"LT, we have suspect Ushihara involved in a situation in Union Square Park. Guard detail officers report that two civilians under police protection are being held hostage."

Reiko paled at the words. "No... not Kazuki and Mizuki..."

"Copy, two-seven. We're on our way."

"Dammit!" Reiko yelled, pounding the roof of Yuu's cruiser. "We didn't move fast enough!"

"Calm down, Reiko," Yuu ordered. "Come on. Leave the paperwork to the locals. We're not twenty minutes out."

**Union Square Park**  
**16th Street entrance  
****10:30 AM**

It was tough enough getting through the police barricades, but worse even more so with the rush of extra vehicles onto the scene.

"FBI?" Asahi asked as they walked briskly up to a uniformed officer with the most rank patches on his arms. "What are they doing here?"

"ESU was already spread thin," the lieutenant in charge of the scene reported to Yuu after she arrived. "We requested assistance from the feds; they're deploying their local HRT to La Guardia in case they'll be needed. These extra trucks are the responding special agents."

Yuu groaned. "I'm sure that the feds'll love to get involved with a hostage situation that stemmed from dojinshi," she remarked, looking over a map of Union Square Park. "Do any of your patrol boys have Fanboy Coolers?"

"Nope; we haven't gotten anything. Don't you have the-"

"We called en route. They'll be here soon."

"What's the situation?" Reiko asked.

The lieutenant whistled through his fingers, beckoning to another cop. "Connors! You were one of the first on the scene, break it down again for us."

"The guard detail on Takase and Sendo reported a suspicious individual approaching Takase in the park; she was scouting out for camera shots. There was a verbal scuffle, and Sendo was on his way back from a gallery opening. Royce from the detail moved in to break it up, but Sendo threw a punch, and before we knew it, the individual revealed that he was wearing a bomb."

Reiko swallowed hard. "Has the suspect been negotiating?"

"He's holed up under the south face of the Lincoln statue, ma'am. Our sharpshooters can't draw a good bead from the roof of Tower Records, just a line-of-sight from within the park."

"I'll blow us up!" a distant yell echoed. "I swear, I'll do it!"

"Who's in command here?" Yuu exclaimed. "Why hasn't a negotiator been sent out for him?"

"There's one on the way, but we got word from the DA's office: hold off on negotiations and get the suspect in."

"The DA?!" Yuu exclaimed, slamming her hands down onto the hood of the other lieutenant's cruiser. "What the _hell_ do they want, a scene from the West Bank in Union Square? They've _got_ Jacky's other gang members, and if the damn lawyers are going to drag their feet, people could die! Get that negotiator in now!" Yuu grabbed the radio off of the lieutenant's belt angrily, almost tossing his gun out of its holster in the process. "This is Inagawa; put me through to two-seven delta!"

"This is Delta platoon, Tachikawa, troop one."

"Tachikawa, it's good to have you out of blue and back with the Comi-Rangers," Yuu replied with less of a frown than before.

**5th Avenue and 24th Street  
****That same time**

"It's good to be in the saddle again, lieutenant," the young patrol sergeant responded over the clamor of the ESU transport van.

"We have one suspect, Tadamichi Ushihara, an associate of King Jacky, wanted for counterfeiting and criminal association. He's got a bomb on his chest and he's got two people who're being protected against folks just like him. How soon can you be here?"

Ikumi looked over the waiting, helmeted heads of the Dojinshi Investigations Unit Special Tactics Squad, D Platoon, the Comi-Rangers. A few looked back at her; others were checking their Fanboy Coolers and readying their gear. "Five minutes, LT," she said over the van's siren.

True to her word, the ESU van screeched onto the scene and unloaded their twelve Comi-Rangers. They fell into parade rest, faces masked behind assault visors, bodies clad in black assault vests and clothing.

"Tadamichi Ushihara, age twenty-seven, known associate of Yataro Kanamori, AKA King Jacky, the serial bomber and would-be dojinshi artist," Yuu read off loudly to the STS men and women. "He has a bomb attached to his chest, trigger looks like a standard electronic setup. The civilians are Mizuki Takase and Kazuki Sendo, ages twenty-eight and twenty-seven respectively; they're being targeted for their past involvement with Jacky, most likely."

"Okay, here's the plan," Ikumi said, laying out the Union Square map in front of her team members. "It's not been an hour since this unfolded, and we don't have a negotiator. We're moving in immediately to stabilize the situation and force Ushihara to surrender. The use of Fanboy Coolers has been authorized."

This caused some mumbles to echo amongst the Comi-Rangers. "Something to say?" Ikumi asked, raising her voice. The rumblings immediately quieted down. "Didn't think so."

"Vasquez, you, Morino, and Popovic are on the right flank," Ikumi said, drawing a line from the 16th Street entrance to the west side of the Lincoln statue. "You'll line up and assist in the takedown. Leone, you and Rothberg are going to make the cut. Leone will use a smoke grenade to create a diversion while Rothberg defuses that bomb."

"Defuses it?" one of the troops, a brown-eyed man with a lean face asked. "While he's holding on to the detonator?!"

"_The_ detonator is the operative here, Rothberg," Ikumi said, tossing Rothberg a digital photo that had just been printed. "We commandeered a Mavica from a nearby Staples and got this printed. You tell me what you see, Rothberg."

Rothberg examined the photo. "Yeah, I see what you mean, sarge," he said. "Single-trip right into a bunch of Semtex. It looks pretty damn slapdash."

"This is just a goon, not Jacky himself, Rothberg. Got your wire cutters?"

Rothberg tossed his Fanboy Cooler over his shoulder, letting it hang from his back on a strap. He extracted a pair of long, thin wire cutters and patted them without another word.

"Okay. The rest of you are going to secure the perimeter. It should be in and out. Watch your fire!"

"COMI-RANGERS! WE PROTECT THE DOJINSHIP!" the unit shouted out in a gruff response. Tachikawa stepped aside, pulling off her helmet and visor, and pulled out a pair of binoculars.

Office of the District Attorney That same time 

"Taking hostages?!" Chisa exclaimed into the phone, flagging down Taishi out of the corner of her eye. "No, by all means, don't provoke him!"

Taishi raced up. "What?" he asked. "Did you say hostages?"

"No! Call them back, call them back now!" she yelled, holding up a hand to halt Taishi. "You're risking their lives and we need him intact! Those Fanboy Coolers really sting when they spray you with 'em!"

Chisa gripped the phone tighter, pressing a finger to her free ear to concentrate, exhaled, then set the handset back into the cradle.

"The Comi-Rangers have moved in on the last of Jacky's comrades," she said sadly, flopping into her office chair. "At the last report, they managed to defuse Ushihara's bomb and free the two civilians involved, but there was a backup time trigger. They hung up just as they'd evacuated the two of them."

"Two civilians?" Taishi asked, sitting in one of Chisa's guest chairs. "Don't tell me..."

Chisa took a deep breath. "Mizuki and Kazuki were caught in the crossfire and hit by Fanboy Coolers. Dojinshi Investigation'll have a lot of explaining to do to the civilian review board."

"And what about the other minions?"

"The _other_ minions?" Chisa asked, looking up at Taishi. "Two of our _friends_ were involved in the apprehension of a dangerous criminal, and all you're worried about is the prosecution?"

"We've got plenty to worry about. Guess who the other minions have retained as their defense?"

"You mean..."

"We've got second-degree dojinshi infringement charges on each of them for plea-bargains. Coincidentally, did you notice the timeframe as to when they'll all be imprisoned for?"

Chisa leafed through a law book that was already open on her desk. "Second-degree copyright infringement, dojinshi... three to eight years, no parole until seven years... what's your point?"

Taishi grinned. "Aya Hasebe never does anything unless it's intended, Chisa-chan... she never does anything unless she wants it to happen, never says anything unless she needs to say it..."

Chisa's phone rang again. "Tsukamoto here." She listened briefly, sighing with relief. "Great. Thank you."

"News from the front?"

"Ushihara surrendered after his bomb fizzled. The Fanboy Coolers did their job; they shorted out the detonators. He's being taken in now."

**Flea Market Café**  
**May 27th, 2005, ****7:45 PM**

"Here's to the end of King Jacky's career," Reiko said, holding up her wineglass, "and to justice being served again!" She faux-enthused herself into another Sailor Moon pose.

"You're too much," Asahi giggled, her cheeks slightly red from the blush of a pinot grigiot from earlier.

"You two did quite well helping to take Ushihara down," Chisa said, clinking her glass with those of the other detectives. "Comic Party and the State of New York owe you a great debt."

"Hopefully this should suffice. Taishi sends his regards, but he's working late tonight getting the plea agreements for Jacky and the others hammered out."

"It still seems so strange, though, that they'd all take the same defense attorney," Asahi remarked, contemplating the squid ink risotto on her fork, staring into the blackened pasta. "Aya hasn't done a very good job of defending them... the minions copped a plea and the big guy still does some hard time."

"Taishi and I thought it was strange, too," Chisa said, reaching into her purse and pulling out some folded-up newspaper clippings. "Incidentally, we have rumblings within West Side Redevelopment that they'll be putting her up from managing agent to their contracting group."

"So she's not their attorney on hand anymore?" Reiko asked, leaning forward at Chisa. "You mean..."

"She's gained quite the Rolodex over the years, Aya has..." Chisa remarked, putting her fork down. "And now that she's not doing defense work anymore, she's gotten herself a primo position... and created some serious questions in the dojinship."

"Counterfeiting will do that to a print medium," Asahi agreed.

"Indeed. At least, it does that to the big-name outfits... the ones who people want to copy and emulate..."

"...thus opening up the field for lesser-known sellers to market their work..."

A heady silence enveloped the three women.

"I think we've all been hoodwinked," Reiko said after a few heartbeats.

"Yeah. We got Jacky off the streets at last... but..." Chisa sipped, then finished, her glass of wine, filling it from the bottle. "But this is quite unprecedented. We never saw it coming. We gave Aya Hasebe an extra shot at some new buyers and a promotion in her consulting gig for getting a PR disaster off the streets for the entire 2012 Olympics."

Reiko signaled to the waiter. "Can we get a bottle of Deluise '02 chardonnay?" she asked. "And we'll take a bottle of a malvasia with dessert."

"Why so much wine?" Asahi asked with a giggle, already a little snookered.

Reiko threw an arm around her partner. "'cause you're a lightweight, and the entire justice system got used to help an artist sell some more dojinshi."

The three of them laughed, filled their wineglasses, and drank with a little less abandon.

**Inspired by Dick Wolf**

**This is a work of fiction and a work of parody. Any similarity between characters and real people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. **


End file.
